Similar to the Academy Awards for the film industry, the ABIA Awards recognises publishers, authors and book stores. Over 300 guests attended the gala evening that was opened by Australia’s Attorney-General – The Honourable Mark Dreyfus QC and timed to coincide with the Sydney Writers’ Festival .

QF32 was also one of the six finalists for the ABIA’s “Book of the Year – 2013”. This award was won by M.L. Stedman for “The Light Between Oceans” (Random House Australia).

Richard de Crespigny congratulated all authors whose works were presented for awards:

I congratulate all the other authors who were shortlisted for this award. You were not handed a script that included 3 iconic companies, a $400m aircraft and 440 passengers, but you have all produced truly wonderful works.

QF32 was never a story about me, but a story about teamwork – a case study where the pilots, cabin crew and hundreds of ground crews pooled their knowledge, training, experience working in teams to help us survive the event that we had never trained for nor expected. In getting the story of QF32 to the readers, the team included my beautiful wife Coral, my son Alexander, daughter Sophia, my collaborator Mark Abernethy, Pan Macmillan’s Tom Gilliatt & Emma Rafferty & Jace Armstrong, and finally all the booksellers who enable and add value to this great industry.

Richard and Robin de Crespigny (Courtesy Richard de Crespigny)

In particular, I congratulate another “R DE CRESPIGNY”, my cousin, Robin de Crespigny, whose wonderful book “THE PEOPLE SMUGGLER” has received world acclaim and was also one of the other five finalists for the “Non- Fiction Book of the Year – 2013”. I am so proud: two R DE CRESPIGNYs, both first-time writers, were both up for the same award. YOU should be winning this award Robin – NOT ME!

We thank the Australian Publishers’ Association for it’s support for the industry and for hosting the wonderful Australian Book Industry Awards.

I read QF32 after hearing you speak in Perth at the WA Local Government Association Conference in August 2012.

It was a pleasure meeting you again in Hervey Bay as one of the enthusiastic pilots (and MC) at the Australian Women Pilots’ Association Awards Dinner where I re-lived your QF32 story – this time AFTER having read the book.